May the Real Napoli please Stand Up!

Will Napoli be the Real Deal this season or the Real mistake.

Out with the old and in with the new. That is a saying that is probably being heard quite often these days in and around the SSC Napoli clubhouse. The Naples side have parted ways with superstar striker Edinson Cavani and charismatic coach Walter Mazzarri. Since they have brought in controversial Rafa Benitez who immediately acquired an interesting mix of dynamic young players creating quite a buzz of excitement around the Stadio San Paolo despite the loss of their most prolific attacker in Napoli's rich history.

 

Something about the air in Paris makes Cavani look more presentable

The ambition of last year's Scudetto runner-up is apparent and the gung-ho manner of their transfer campaign has seemed to throw off the balance in the Serie A transfer market...but unfortunately their efforts may all be in vain.

Mazzarri to DeLaurentis "F*** this, I'm out!"

Fact is Napoli has already been on a slight decline ever since they sold Ezequiel Lavezzi to PSG last summer and Walter Mazzarri obviously knew this. Napoli ran out of gas in their Scudetto pursuit this past season and with Cavani set to leave, Mazzarri jumped ship because he believes Napoli are a sputtering ship and it will take one hell of an effort to keep it from sinking...so Walter tucked his tail and ran to the one team that can only go up from the position they currently are in.

DeLaurentis is like "no fear, Rafa is here"

Rafa Benitez has now flung himself into another seemingly impossible position (despite the large transfer $$$ given to him), where expectation will be high for the southern Italian side to mount a serious run at the Serie A title despite the fact Napoli are about to go through a HUGE transitional season.

This fact however has been masked by the interesting transfer campaign that has been undertaken by Rafa. The former Liverpool boss has signed an exciting young Belgianattacker in Dries Mertens and a host of Real Madrid 'misfits', most eyebrow raising, the reported 42Million signing of Gonzalo Higuain.....WHAT....yes that’s right...Napoli has spent two-thirds of the Cavani fund on a striker who, albeit one who may play with a chip on his shoulder this season...in my opinion, has failed to really impress as a top class striker. They were way better off with Cavani compared to him.

thousands of Napoli fans assaulted Gonzalo like he was the Biebs

His goal tally aside, Higuain was always second choice to the likes of Benzema and before him Raul and Van Nistelrooy...and I'm sure there is a reason for that. Higuain has those Inzaghi like abilities of being inthe right place at the right time and being a close range clinical finisher...but he does not possess boatloads of technical ability, does not have the power and presence that his Partenopei predecessor Cavani had...Higuain's skill set matches many other available Serie A strikers...one name that comes to mind is Alessandro Matri...a player who is of not that much less quality than Higuain and one who would probably been allowed to leave Juventus, even to arch-rivals Napoli, on the cheap since they have now found themselves with a glut of strikers...but instead Napoli have forked over 42mil for ONE striker and still have plenty of holes to fill.

Their defence remains a biq question mark with the likes of Gamberini,  Paolo Cannavaro and the newly acquired Raul Albiol hardly being able to instill fear in the eyes of Europe's greatest attacking forces. Their midfield lacks dynamism and creativity...and then there is the coach himself…. Benitez…no doubt a great tactician... but one who gets very set in his ways and ruffles the feathers of his employers...just ask Massimo Moratti. Formation changes, style changes, personnel changes will all be on the cards for Napoli this season. Switching from a very Italian-style 3-4-3 counterattacking system to Rafa’s for 4-2-3-1 will be a major transition that current players will have initial difficulty in adjusting to. And any new acquisitions will need some time to gel.

I'm not saying that Napoli will be a disaster this season, but talk of potential Scudetto champions is definitely premature, if not naïve. It seems as though management is just trying to overhype a team in transition and is rushing to create a fresh, attractive team    filled with nothing but names. In a way Napoli kind of reminds me of a certain Toronto baseball team who had all the hype surrounding them after somebig name offseason acquisitions, but unfortunately was never able to put the talent and potential together on the field.

If Napoli fans have Scudetto dreams then they are in for a big disappointment this season.

the irony of Napoli's second jersey being military fatigues, considering it's going to
be a battle for them to achieve even second place this season.

Keep Calm and Forza Azzurri

With another set of World Cup Qualifiers on the horizon for Cesare Prandelli's re-vamped Azzurri squad, we as fans of the Nazionale, need to keep calm and trust in the project. As good as the run through the Euro 2012 was, one thing was very evident in the squad, the need for youth.

The first excuse used for the 4-0 drubbing in the final of the Euro was fatigue. Not for anything but Spain had to play the same amount of games, so why were the Azzurri so much more tired than 'La Roja'?

One thing is forsure Cesare Prandelli has recognized the need for a new influx of youth and is giving many youngsters a fair chance at making a name for themselves. Marco Verratti, Angelo Ogbonna, Mattia Destro just to name a few. If Italy is to be successful they will need these guys to be integral parts of the squad.

As great as Andrea Pirlo is, and how he has been able to continue playing at such a high level despite his age, he struggles when playing a lot of games in a short amount of time. Moving to Juventus last season was the best thing that could have happened for the midfield maestro. They had only the Serie A to worry about, it was their lone goal for the season, to return as Italian champions. Pirlo was able to stay fresh and was one of the main reasons, if not the reason Juventus was able to win the Scudetto. But in the Euro, and now in Juventus' Champions League campaign, he struggles when having to play a lot of games in a short amount of time. It's not that he becomes a horrible player, he is just not as good. This is where Marco Verratti comes in, at least for the Azzurri, Prandelli knows that it is time to start grooming the 19 year old to be the 'Regista' of the Azzurri midfield with Pirlo on the decline. We won't know how much Pirlo will be able to give the Azzurri come 2014, and with a talent as bright as Verratti it is a no-brainer that Prandelli should start to expedite the process of replacing Andrea Pirlo as the midfield maestro of the Azzurri.

Marco Verratti is not the only Italian youngster on the rise. Mattia Destro, Angelo Ogbonna, Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile, Luca Marrone, Stephen El Shaarawy, are just some of the names that have been getting Calcio fans excited over the last year or so and are all names that could and maybe should be on the 2014 World Cup Squad if they continue at their current rate of progression. That means a lot of the casual Azzurri fans won't know who the heck these guys are, and might be all up in arms when the time comes. Well I'm here to say Keep Calm and Forza Azzurri. We must trust in the project and trust in Prandelli building this squad.

Conte vs Zeman Round 2

After we move past the debate on the formation; 3-5-2 (Conte) vs 4-3-3 (Zeman) that I blogged and debated in my last post, this battle becomes a little more personal.

This really is a feud between Zdnek Zeman and Juventus, but since Antonio Conte, who spent 13 of his 19 years as a player at Juventus, is now the head coach of Juventus and last season led the Zebras back to its winning ways, he is the person who represents the Bianconeri at the moment, therefore is the object of Zeman's verbal attacks.

Antonio was the Captain of Juventus in the early 2000s

Zdnek Zeman in recent years has been a lot more vocal about his displeasures with the Bianconeri organization, like when he recently said that Juve should really only celebrate 22 or 23 scudetti because 5 or 6 of them were stolen. He also spoke on Conte's current 10-month touchline ban, "I can sleep well at night, Juve can't", Zeman addded that Conte got off easy because he believes Conte should not even be allowed to train the team.

top: Zeman you say that Juve should not claim to have won more than 20 scudetti?
bottom: Please tell me all about your scudetti!

Conte who was in the midst of his appeal process to the controversial ban, reacted to Zeman's comments with a "we will respond on the field", but a few days after Juventus' supercup win Conte added that current Juve BENCH Boss and rookie Head Coach Massimo Carrera has already won more than Zeman ever has in his career only after one game.

Marotta always has his coaches back.

Juventus General Manager Beppe Marotta really took the fight back to Zeman. He first said that since Zeman himself had admitted to not reading all the details on the Conte-FIGC battle, he should not even concern or comment on things he does not know. Beppe then asked what Zeman knew or was hiding since he was the coach of the team the FIGC penalized the most; Lecce. Marotta specifically called into question a controversial game from 2005 between Lecce and Parma that ended 3-3, in which Zeman was on the Lecce bench as head coach, but left for no apparent reason in the 80th minute.

The feud ironically began in 98, when Juventus was in the mid stage of its late 90s dynasty that involved 4 consecutive Champions League finals appearances, & many Italian titles and Zdenek Zeman was for the first time the Head Coach of Roma. Juventus was linked to a doctor who had been indicted by the International Sports Commitee, although nothing was ever proven. Zeman from the beginning voiced his opinion that all the Juventus players at the time (including soccer Legends like Zidane, Inzaghi, Vieri, Vialli, Conte and Del Piero) were on drugs because they were not that good of a team.....let that sink in for a little. 

Del Piero, Peruzzi, Deschamps, Zidane, Inzaghi...surely without drugs they could never have won anything in their careers
(said in my sarcastic voice)

He later would make many accusations towards Juventus implying that they were corrupt and were the reason he never coached a "big club" .......not because his 4-3-3 tactic is very stale. He also claimed to feel vindicated when Juventus was sent down to Serie B during the Calciopoli scandal......makes me wonder if Zeman suffers from a god-complex.

Zeman should really quit that bad habit at his age...

Former Juventus Legend and 1982 Azzuri Hero Paolo Rossi said it best, Zeman talks too much, and always has. 
Zeman has never ever won a top flight trophy, and this season is more than likely his last chance to do so. Every excuse he has ever used to why he has never been able to do so in his over 20 years of coaching in Italy is irrelevant. Roma spent a lot of money this summer and has a team that many experts considered the only competition to Juventus for the scudetto. Its now or never for the Czech. Meanwhile Antonio Conte has already won the scudetto and is predicted to win a few more titles with Juve in the next few years.

Round 1 in my opinion was won by Conte, seeing that many teams are beginning to prefer the 3-5-2 to Zeman's 4-3-3 because it defends better. Also using the 3-5-2 Juventus has remain undefeated in 45 league competition games, while Roma using Zeman's 4-3-3 has already suffered defeat in the new season.

Round 2 will be disputed today at 245 as the two teams meet for the first time this season. All the talk means nothing, both Juventus and Roma will really want to win todays game. Although Conte will not be on the bench, we know he will be in the stands. If Zeman can finally beat his self proclaimed nemesis on the field then it will create a very interesting title run for the remainder of the season. If Conte's men get the better of the Volpe, Zeman may be inquiring about an early retirement.

Analyzing Perfection

Yes we are only three games into the Serie A season, but I do find it quite interesting which teams have started their season win three consecutive wins. Juventus, Napoli, Lazio, and Sampdoria  have yet to leave any points on the table through the first three match days of the Serie A. 

Juventus is not really a surprise here, Parma, Udinese, and Genoa have been their first three opponents thus far, so they were all very winnable games for the reigning Italian Champs. But we are seeing more of the same from last year with Juventus, which is a team effort on offense and defense. Goals continue to come from everywhere, and so far the Bianconeri have been able to quiet the critics who said they needed a top striker. The criticism I do have though is from this past weekend, the squad struggled with some of the starters being given a chance to rest up for the upcoming Champions League match this weekend against Chelsea. Until coach Massimo Carrera decided to bring in Asamoah and Vucinic the squad was showing no signs of picking up the three points. This will be one thing to watch as the season goes on and the games start to pile up. 

Marek Hamsik: The key to Napoli

Napoli are another team that are not much of a surprise, at least not for me. This team improved with the sale of Ezequiel Lavezzi. A more balanced, and deeper squad than last year, this Napoli team in my eyes poses the biggest challenge for Juventus. They have dominated all three of their games thus far, and look like a far more mature team than the one we saw in the Supercoppa Italiana. Their biggest test thus far was Fiorentina but even in that game they led by two goals for most of the ninety minutes. I really do not have much to criticize of the team to this point as they have not had much trouble with their first three games. It will be interesting to see how they handle Europa League as the season goes on, because as we saw last year they were not deep enough to compete in both Champions League and Serie A. Right now it feels as though Marek Hamsik is the man who runs this offense an injury to him would be devastating for the Patrenopei. They will most likely keep their focus on the Serie A, especially in the early going.

Hernanes and Klose have Lazio looking like title contenders

Unlike Juventus and Napoli, I am very surprised at what Lazio has been able to do. Maybe it is because they fell so hard last year after losing Miroslav Klose to injury, but they look stronger than ever right now. Winning each of their first three games with ease, Lazio looks like they can really challenge for a title let alone a top three position. While Roma has had a rollercoaster ride to start their season, Lazio have overshadowed their biggest rivals with goals aplenty and strength in defense. Hernanes has been incredible thus far, and if he can keep this up throughout the season, he may wind up being tagged as the best midfielder in Serie A, and what more can you say about Klose? He's just incredible in front of goal, and does not miss too many chances when they are given to him, one of the best Prima Punta's of this generation, he is a pleasure to watch. It's hard to find criticism's in a team where they have won each of their first three games by at least two goals. Again its early in the season, when the games start to pile up we will learn a lot more about these teams, but right now I do not see Lazio going away. 

Maxi Lopez 3 Games - 3 Goals can he keep it up for Sampdoria?

The biggest surprise of all is newly promoted Sampdoria. How can you not be impressed with these guys? I think anyone who follows the Serie A wanted to see Sampdoria come back up from Serie B and succeed, but no one was expecting this level of success. The team has had an incredible transfer season bringing in affordable veterans to go along with a nice young core of players. Enzo Maresca is a nice addition to this squad, he is a hard worker and will be a great veteran presence for youngsters Poli, and Obiang. Maxi Lopez is an awesome finisher, and if he keeps up his early season success, he will contend for Capocannoniere. Sampdoria are most likely to struggle at some point this season, but Ciro Ferrara has this team paying strong defense and that alone will keep them in a lot of games, and allow them to steal points against the big teams. With Milan, and Roma struggling to start their season, and struggling to keep the ball out of their own net, Sampdoria could sneak in a Europa League position when this season is all set and done. 

Comments, and tweets are always welcome @SerieACanada 

The Serie A Canada Watch List

This is a list I have compiled of a few players that should be on the watch list for all Calcio fans. They are either players on the brink of super stardom, or players whose performances will dictate whether or not their particular teams are able to achieve their goals this season.

Ciro Immobile

Lets get the obvious out of the way first. Ciro Immobile comes off his loan deal with Pescara which saw them promoted last year with a lot of hype. The Serie B's capocannoniere had 28 goals a year ago, and started his Serie A season on the right foot, no pun intended, with a goal in a 2-0 win for Genoa over Cagliari. Genoa believe in the 22 year old so much so that they have been looking to offload out of favour striker Alberto Gilardino.




Alberto Aquilani



Many questions have surrounded Alberto Aquilani upon joining Fiorentina this off season from Liverpool. Brought in to fill the hole left in the midfield by the departed Riccardo Montolivo, Aquilani answered those questions in his first Serie A match by providing a beautiful diagonal ball from the centre of the pitch all the way to the edge of the 18 yard box. Jovetic would finish the wonderful assist giving the Viola a much needed first win of the season.



Michael Bradley

Michael Bradley is on a quest to prove himself in the Serie A, and is being given the opportunity in the nation's capital. A successful season with Chievo caught the eye of the Romans, and he will be given every opportunity to continue making a name for himself. The American international has been given the role of holding the midfield alongside Daniele De Rossi. Bradley is a physical force in the centre of the pitch, but does not get enough credit for his creative abilities which he showed off on his assist of Nicolas Lopez' tying goal against Catania over the past weekend.





Maicousel



We all know of the departures at Udinese this summer, but who did they bring in? Well the player whom I think will play the biggest role in trying to replace all the departed is Brazilian attacking midfielder, Maicousel. Not much is known about him, but we didn't know much about Asamoah, Isla and Armero before they broke onto the scene with Udinese either. Maicousel made a beautiful run, and was sent in for his first Serie A goal in his first match against Fiorentina on Saturday, but the hope is he will be more of a creator than a scorer. He only had six goals in 56 appearances for Botafago in Brazil over the last two seasons, but Udinese are hoping his creative abilities will be able to keep them in the upper echelon of the Serie A.

 


Angelo Ogbonna



Torino have made some interesting moves this summer as they attempt to stay afloat in the Serie A. But the one player that is going to be integral to their season is their heart and soul on defense, Angelo Ogbonna. He is a product of the Torino youth system and has already made well over 100 appearances for the club on his way to becoming captain, and is the future of the Azzurri central defence. His performance this season will go a long way in keeping Torino in the Serie A, and also cementing his place in the national team.



Abel Hernandez



This next selection had a horrendous start to his Serie A season, but I believe it is about time Abel Hernandez starts to live up to the hype. Still only 22 years old, this will be Abel's fifth season with Palermo. He was virtually invisible for the men in pink in their 3-0 loss to Napoli, but he will be important to Palermo if they are to have any kind of success in the Serie A this season. I have opined that they could be a team fighting to stay in the top flight, and one of the keys to their season will be Abel Hernandez having a breakout season and doing what so many of us think he can accomplish. All the talent in the world yet he has only been able to show it in flashes to this point in his career.

Dorlan Pabon

Parma will have a difficult time fulfilling the void left by Sebastien Giovinco. But they have tried to fill that hole with young pacey forwards like Jonathan Biabiany and Dorlan Pabon. Although both of them were phased out by Juventus in the first match of the Serie A season, their pace still got them both into scoring positions a few times during the match, and it was certainly evident that these two have the pace to make some things on the counter attack this season for the Gialloblu.





Giampaolo Pazzini



Milan have had a roller coaster ride of an off season, and after a 1-0 loss to Sampdoria in their first match many questions surround the Rossoneri. Newly signed Giampaolo Pazzini is coming off the worst season of his career, but was overshadowed by Diego Milito at Inter. With Pato and now Robinho injured to start the season, Milan will be counting on Pazzini to poach some goals while the Brazilians watch from the stands.






Lorenzo Insigne

 Lorenzo Insigne has probably been the most hyped Italian youngster of them all. Marco Verratti would have given him competition for that title had he not left for Paris Saint-Germain, but that's another story for another day. Insigne will be given every opportunity to make Napoli fans forget about the departed Ezequiel Lavezzi. Lorenzo enjoyed an incredible preseason that only fuelled the hype machine surrounding the 21 year old. He started for Napoli in their 3-0 victory, but was unable to record any goals or assists. The expectations are very high for this young man, and it is rare to see an Italian at his age get a chance to start with one of the bigger teams. We will have to wait and see if he can live up to the lofty expectations set for him.






Alessandro Matri



Lastly, I am expecting to take some heat from all of you on this and I hope you do, because I truly believe in Alessandro Matri to be the man to score plenty of goals for Juventus. Your classic 'poacher' striker Matri is physical, strong, and has a knack for getting into the right places. Giovinco will be hurt for the next couple of weeks so I expect Matri to start alongside Vucinic, and make it hard for Massimo Carrera to keep him out of the first team once Giovinco is back healthy. Matri can win the Serie A golden boot, if given the chance...

These are my watch list players. Whose yours? Lets discuss....comment here or find me on twitter @DanRiccio23.



Dan The Man

Daniele De Rossi Remains Loyal to his Hometown Club

Daniele De Rossi has rejected a move to English giants Manchester City. Yeah this is old news, but I have yet to offer my opinion on it. 

Daniele is one of the premier talents in the Italian Serie A, and to see him reject a move to one of the biggest clubs in the world is admirable. It's not like any Italian football fans hated De Rossi in the first place, I just feel like he gets forgotten about at times. Maybe last year more than ever, just because Roma was such a mediocre team. But when the Euro came around, De Rossi was arguably the Azzurri's best player, and was noticeable at all times on the field. Whether it was creating an offensive opportunity, or if it was making a last ditch effort on the defensive end he was absolutely sublime. Or maybe, just maybe, it was showing that he could even play in central defense if need be, to me he is one of the most valuable talents on the planet.

The Roman Boys Celebrate the 2006 World Cup Win

Putting a price on him would be difficult, but Roma was put in a very tough place following the £31 million offer Man City threw at them. There a comes a time when an offer is just too good to reject, and maybe this was it, however selling De Rossi at this point would be extremely detrimental to the team's prospects for this year. If there was one player on any team in the Serie A, that you could say is irreplaceable, who would it be? I'd say Daniele De Rossi. 

Roma's Future Captain

Daniele is the reason I think Roma can challenge for the Scudetto in 2012/13, we know that Zeman's all out attack tactics will be in full effect, but without De Rossi Roma don't have that rock in the midfield that can save goals from going in on their own net. I may be Serie A biassed, but Daniele is the best box to box midfielder in the world. I challenge you to name me a better one. 


But really I just wanted to applaud Daniele, I have all the respect in the world for this guy, he knows Roma have a chance at a title this year, and he wants to stick it out and win some trophies with his hometown club. It's hard to find a guy like him in football these days. 

Grazie Daniele You Have Earned the Respect of Many Around the Globe

Conte vs Zeman Round 1

Antonio Conte vs Zednek Zeman 

also known as 

3-5-2 vs 4-3-3

Looking over the probable line-ups for the upcoming season I'm seeing a common theme. With the exception being Atalanta, with a simple 4-4-2 and Torino with an exciting 4-2-4 formation that got them back into the Serie A, every other team is either using a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3, with some teams having slightly modified it with either a 3-5-1-1 (Napoli, Bologna, & Udinese) or a 4-3-1-2 like Milan & Chievo or finally a 4-3-2-1 like Inter.

Some say 'Parody is Flattery', but I think Conte and Zeman would both feel less than flattered by this. Either way the influence of these two men and their formations will be very evident this season.

Those of you who followed the Azzurri's run in the Euro Cup should know that this was a struggle for Head Coach Cesare Prandelli, who used the 3-5-2 for the first game against Spain, when Italy drew 1-1, but then used a modified 4-3-3 for the remainder of the tourney. Some (mainly myself) have argued how in the Final game he should of reverted back to the 3-5-2, and how it would of been a much closer game. But thats in the past, and after many cold showers it is to be forgotten.

i'm sure a lot of people wanted to be the Batman to my Robin 

in the weeks after the final

  Zdenek Zeman may be best known for using the 4-3-3, but when you actually see a Zeman squad using it effectively how he preaches it, it looks a lot more like a 2-5-3, which creates a lot of goals. Pescara scored the most goals in the Serie B last season, and with all the fire-power Roma have at their disposal I suspect they should be considered favourites to score the most goals in the Serie A this season.

Roma in a pre-season friendly already effectively using the 4-3-3 

(looks like just 2 at the back though) 

Zeman is not the only one who has used the 4-3-3 in the Serie A before. Massimo Allegri (Milans current Head Coach) used that same formation in the 2010/11 SERIE A season and won more than just Most Goals by a club that season, as Milan were crowned Scudetto Champions, which can be credited to the 4-3-3 formation that allowed them to score so many goals.

Antonio Conte last season preferred a more pass-heavy formation in the 3-5-2. (It will definetly still be used by new Juve bench boss Massimo Carrera while Conte serves his 10-month touchline ban). This formation keeps 3 central defenders back at all times, and is not as susceptible to a counter attack as the 4-3-3. The formation finally got its recognition by the Italian Soccer community only after Juventus finished the 2011/12 season as UNDEFEATED Scudetto Champions. 

During last season, Mr.Conte was constantly called out by 'analysts' and 'experts' about how it does not produce enough goals. Antonio answered this at the end of the season  himself: "While the 3-5-2 may not score a lot of goals, it rarely gives them up" and that is all that matters.

This season there will be a lot of talk on what formation will be better to use Zeman's 4-3-3 or Conte's 3-5-2. My vote will always be with my coach, but the main thing is that they both create very exciting, attractive Calcio, and while you try to decide which side you are on, I'll be enjoying all the action from the most competitive soccer league on the planet.

What's Wrong With What Juventus Has?



RobinVan Persie Signs for Manchester United

Many a Juventus fan wanted to see Robin Van Persie in the Bianconeri. Although it was known for a few days it has now become official that the Dutch talisman is on his way to Old Trafford. He has signed for Manchester United. The deal is reported to be around €30 million, and to that I say congratulations Arsenal!

But this post is not about Robin Van Persie, or Arsenal still being able to get a truckload of money despite the fact that RVP's contract is about to expire. This post is about Juve and their search for a 'top player'. Since the beginning of the transfer window Director General Giuseppe Marrotta has been in search of a top of the line striker. I do believe he has been looking, but as I have said in the past he won't empty out the pocketbooks for one, nor should he

If we take a look at the targets that Juventus have been after, they all have one thing in common, and that one thing is value, or at least the perception of it.

Robin Van Persie - Out of contract after this season

Luis Suarez - Apparent turmoil between him and Liverpool

Edin Dzeko - In search of first team football

Fernando Llorente - Out of contract after this season



Javier Hernandez to Juventus? Rubbish

Immediately following Robin Van Persie's signing to Man U, rumours spread that Juve would be after Javier Hernandez now that he may have been pushed out of the first team at Old Trafford. Trust me those are just rumours. The thing is Marrotta has done when any good transfer director should do, and that is be in search of value all over the globe. He thought he may have had a chance to get a big name at a discount price in Van Persie, but quickly learned that was not going to happen and then just talked up the transfer just to drive the price up. He did this knowing that if Manchester City were to get their hands on RVP then Dzeko would immediately become more expendable, and cheaper than the €30 m Man City is currently demanding.

Beppe Marotta

That's what it's all about; value. Marrotta knows that we aren't that bad up front, but a big name at a discount price is never a bad idea. He thought he might be able to get one of those guys at a price he would be happy with, however that was not the case. It was partially his fault because he announced to the world how much he wanted a top of the line front man for the upcoming season. Anywhere he has gone looking, he has gotten an inflated price since he was so adamant in telling everybody what he wanted.

The Vucinic Mustache kisses Supercoppa

Which is why I am beginning to come around to the idea that it's all just been smoke in mirrors by Marrotta. Maybe he thinks like me, that this is strikeforce isn't as bad as everyone seems to make it out to be. He spent €11m to get back Sebastian Giovinco from Parma, he has Matri back at full health for the first time since January, and Vucinic is a stud especially with that mustache. Fabio Quagliarella could be on his way out in exchange for Giampaolo Pazzini at Inter, which I think would be a great move. Pazzini flourished at Sampdoria under Marrotta, and a move to the Old Lady could be exactly what is needed to rejuvenate him, and hes right in the prime of his career at 28 years old. The best thing is he would cost next to nothing given that Inter coach Andrea Strammaccioni has already ruled Pazzini to be out of the squad's plans for the season. VALUE!

It's just like the Marco Borriello move in the January transfer season that Juventus made this past season. Yeah it did not work out so well, but it cost them nothing, and he was needed due to Matri's knee injury.

Alessandro Matri is Ready To Go

I don't see a problem with what Juventus has, I like Matri a lot as a poacher type of striker, he's big, he's strong, times his runs well, and has that knack for being in the right place at the right time. He scored 20 goals in 2010-11 and was on his way to another twenty goal season last year before battling through injury. Also, Alessandro Sampogna made a great point when talking about this the other day, he doesn't take penalties so he will have a tough time beating the Di Natale's of the world when it comes to overall goals. Vucinic and Giovinco are both guys who will finish but also create plenty at the same time. Juventus will get goals from everywhere, and that is something that can be very valuable to a squad.

Also while Marrotta has been talking up the need for a top of the line finisher, he has quietly signed quite a few players to the youth ranks. Leo Bonatini is young Brazilian whose come over and had a great pre-season for the Juventus Primavera squad(his first goal in a Juventus jersey is below). Also, just today Manolo Gabbiadini was bought from Atalanta. Although he will be sent to Bologna on loan where he should start immediately, and hopefully form a nice partnership with Alessandro Diamanti. Lest we forget that Juventus also own half of Serie B Capocannoniere Ciro Immobile, he will be playing for Genoa this season.

Marrotta is really growing into his Director General position, and after a few less than impressive transfer season's I really can't argue with what he is done lately, and he seems to have Juventus on the right path. The top of the line striker he has been talking about may already be part of the team, and all that talk has allowed him to make some other very quiet smart moves. Now he just needs to learn how to sell players.

So to answer the question originally posed in the title... What's Wrong With What Juventus Has? The answer is nothing, but Juventus fans expect the best, and while there is nothing wrong with that, they are reluctant to give what Juventus have the chance to succeed. After going undefeated last season I think they deserve that at the very least.

Follow me on twitter @DanRiccio23 for all the latest Serie A news updates.

The First Edition of the Serie A Canada Podcast!

In our first edition we go over how the Calcio Scommesse verdicts broke down. Antonio Conte recieved a ten month ban, does this affect Juve's title hopes? Italy makes some interesting call ups for their friendly against England, while the Supercoppa Italiana is coming up! We got the preview right here on the Serie A Canada podcast!

Serie A Power Shift



Milan Lose 5-1 to Real Madrid

Fresh on the heels of the two Milan clubs suffering losses and Antonio Conte being banned for ten months, I begin asking the question...is the balance of power shifting in the Italian Serie A?

Yes I know AC Milan was only playing a friendly, but losing 5-1 is not pretty, friendly or not, and Inter were playing a Europa League match in which they led 3-0 on aggregate heading into the 2-0 loss to Hajduk.

Also this morning the sentences came down in the Calcioscommesse scandal, and although Juventus did not lose any players, as Leonardo Bonucci and Simone Pepe were both acquitted. They did lose their coach, Antonio Conte who was sentenced to a ten month ban, however he will appeal, and possibly get it down to four or five months.



Antonio Conte banned for 10 months



What was so impressive about Juventus last season was the fact that they managed to win the Serie A without a superstar. Alessandro Del Piero who was no doubt an integral part of the championship run, became a role player rather than the superstar he was for so many previous Juventus championship seasons. Andrea Pirlo played like a superstar, but prior to the season was written off due to his age, and nagging injuries that hindered him in years past. Which left Conte to bring in a hard-working, team mentality. He became the superstar of the team. Which is why I believe the team will struggle more than anyone else seems to think without Conte, especially with the Champions League approaching on top of the already gruelling Serie A schedule. Yes Juventus are still the favourites heading into the season, but for the first time in awhile there is serious contention looming atop the leader board.

Udinese have been able to finish among the Champions League qualifiers in the last two seasons, but face the same question as always; who will replace the men they've sold away this summer?



Napoli 2012 Coppa Italia Winners



Napoli's qualification into the Champions League after the 09-10 taught them a great lesson, they weren't good enough to compete in all competitions. After struggling last season, they are now poised to make a serious run at the Scudetto with the arrivals of Behrami, Insigne, Gamberini among others. They lost Lavezzi and have replaced him with several players which usually bodes well over the course of long season. The Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus tomorrow will be their first real test of the season, however they do seem further ahead in their pre-season preparations than Juve at the moment. It really is just a glorified friendly. The pre-season has been very impressive for the Patrenopei as they've defeated the likes of Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen as well as others so far.



New Roma coach Zdenek Zeman



Roma have been very active in the transfer market this season, as I've documented in my 'Welcome to Zemanlandia' piece from a week or so ago. I really like what they have done and since have brought in Euro 2012 standout Federico Balzaretti and have finally made the transfer of Mattia Destro official. With Zdenek Zeman taking over the helm they will surely score plenty of goals in the coming season and are my pre-season favourite to score the most in the league, however it is the defence that will be a problem for them as it is for every Zeman team. A year of maturity and progression will no doubt help the likes of Bojan Krkic, Erik Lamela and Miralem Pjanic, all players under the age of 22 that were brought in last summer. There is no denying the talent this team has, and I truly believe they have the best chance at the title outside of the 'big three'.

Lazio have been very quiet this summer, but as we saw last season they have a very capable squad. They were at or near the top for much of the first half of the season, until the injury to Miroslav Klose and sub-par performance of Djibril Cisse saw them fall out of title contention.



New Fiorentina Signing Alberto Aquilani



Fiorentina are the wild card in all of this, they have quietly had a very impressive transfer season. Although they lost Montolivo and Behrami, Valero, Aquilani and Pizarro have been brought in. More importantly they have been able to keep star player Stevan Jovetic in the Viola shirt, and are maybe just a striker away from having a very competitive season among the top of the Serie A.

What has excited me is that the teams in the second tier that 4th through 8th group of teams, have recognised the weakness of Inter, Milan, and Juventus, and have begun to get their ducks in order for a push to the top.

Inter seem to still be in transition from their glory years and are still building towards a new cycle, however they still have the talent to contend.

While Milan is also in transition and do not seem to have the finances to bring in new stars. The recent signing of Cristian Zapata won't fill the void left by the sale of Thiago Silva and was just the most cost-effective player they could find. Yes he had some success with Udinese a couple of years ago before moving to Villarreal, but being part of a defence that was relegated from La Liga does not sound to good from here.

Juventus has improved their squad but with Champions League on the horizon, and the coaching situation still up in the air, it is tough to confidently say they will repeat.

Whatever the outcome will be, I can tell you this, it will not be a two horse race atop the Serie A down the stretch this season. Calcio fans are in for an exciting season.

Follow me on Twitter: DanRiccio23 for all the latest Serie A news, and for the latest blog updates.

Your comments are always welcome